What the Holy Week Teaches Fr. Roy Cimagala MANY precious insights and lessons can be derived if we enter into the spirit of the Holy Week. Let us thank God for all of them and strengthen our resolve to go through the Holy Week keeping our faith and piety as vibrant...

Lent and its implications Fr. Roy Cimagala WE are once again in the season of Lent. It’s a period of preparation for the greatest event in the history of mankind—the passion, death and resurrection of Christ—which we will celebrate within the Holy Week, from the...

Stripping the Altars on Holy Thursday Fr. Edward McNamara Q: Is the stripping of the altar following the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday limited only to those altars upon which the Mass was celebrated? Do altars in churches and chapels (e.g., chapels in...

Color of the Veil for the Cross Fr. Edward McNamara Q: In the new Roman Missal the color for covering the cross is violet; however, the color is red for the vestments. I have noticed that different churches do red and some violet; even the Vatican used red, which is...

Picking the day Lent begins Fr. Edward McNamara Q: What determines what day Lent begins? A: The short answer to your question is that the beginning of Lent depends on the date of Easter. Easter follows a lunar, rather than a solar, calendar and is celebrated on the...

“Way of the Cross” within the Mass Fr. Edward McNamara Q: My parish usually has a Way of the Cross followed by the Mass during Fridays of Lent. I saw a priest integrate the Way of the Cross with the Mass. The Liturgy of the Word was replaced with the Way of the Cross....

Covering Crosses and Images in Lent Fr. Edward McNamara Q: Why are crosses and images covered during the last weeks of Lent? A: First of all, I would first like to recommend Monsignor Peter Elliott’s excellent guide “Celebrations of the Liturgical Year” published by...

Commemorating Saints in Lent Fr. Edward McNamara Q: Several questions have arisen at a seminary regarding the proper way to commemorate the saints during privileged seasons, such as Lent. I was wondering if you could lay out the proper or at least suggested ways in...